Every year is a good year to read. Whether you’re a bookworm or the pandemic has made you a more regular reader, there are a lot of good books to dive into in 2021.
As one of the biggest genres, nonfiction dominates much of the new books came out this year. And while this genre may lacks some of the flair that makes fiction enjoyable, there is something magical to reading narratives that present reality. Let’s check out some of the best books the genre has to offer so far this year.
Best Nonfiction Books of 2021
The best nonfiction books are as captivating as the fictional stories you love. These are narratives that showcase humanity in all its angles. From heartfelt memoirs to deep contemplations, this genre has something for everyone.
1. Empire of Pain: The Secret History of the Sackler Dynasty by Patrick Radden Keefe
The Sackler family is best known for two things: founding and owning a couple of pharmaceutical companies, and being at the center of an opioids crisis. They were responsible for the creation and marketing of a drug that led to widespread death and substance abuse.
This is a biography of a family that overcame poverty through sheer greed and indifference, laying down a foundation of human suffering to build one of the world’s largest fortunes.
2. Aftershocks by Nadia Owusu
Since she was young, Nadia Owusu has lived a nomadic life. Her father, a Ghanaian UN official, took the family all over Europe and Africa. But as soon as they would settle in, they’d find themselves moving again. At age two, her mother disappeared. At thirteen, her father died. How does a young girl with no home, no parents, and no connections survive?
There is something fairytale-like to Nadia’s story. It shows how, despite straddling cultures and having no place sentimental enough to call home, she manages to discover her own identity and place in the world.
3. The Three Mothers: How the Mothers of Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm X, and James Baldwin Shaped a Nation by Anna Malaika Tubbs
Who shaped the people that shaped the civil rights movement? Much has been said about the likes of Martin Luther King Jr, Malcolm X, and James Baldwin, but little is known about the women who raised them. In this book, Anna Malaika Tubbs celebrates the joys of Black motherhood and tells the stories of the women that nurtured some of America’s most significant figures.
4. Women in White Coats: How the First Women Doctors Changed the World of Medicine by Olivia Campbell
Despite women being portrayed popularly as healers, medicine has historically been a male-dominated profession. And despite advancements in gender equality, it still remains as such. Olivia Campbell takes you on the journey of three women who, frustrated by substandard medical treatment, fought for a place in the medical field. And though impeded by significant obstacles, managed to earn their degrees and set the way for other women.
5. A World Without Email by Cal Newport
It seems it was so long ago when paper was the king of communication before technology rendered it inefficient. But while technology made things extremely fast, it also overloaded the mind. We’re now so bombarded by never-ending messages that it’s almost impossible to disconnect. Here, Cal Newport reimagines the world without this communication overload, suggesting possible solutions to put a stop to the productive and creative drain it puts on us.
6. Breathtaking by Rachel Clarke
The Covid-19 pandemic has left everyone ragged, especially those who contracted the virus and those who are still fighting to contain it. As a palliative care doctor, Rachel Clarke has become extremely familiar with both. This is her inside account of a time of unprecedented medical emergency, the ongoing fight against a deadly virus, and the bravery of both her patients and coworkers.
7. Jackpot by Michael Mechanic
Money doesn’t buy happiness, but it certainly helps — a lot. We dream of hitting the jackpot, that massive amount of resources that’ll set us up for life, so we can do away with life’s struggles. But will the big win really be everything we think it is?
Michael Mechanic takes a gleeful, almost manic scrutiny to what being rich really means, and the many ways that political and economic institutions are set up to benefit those at the top at the expense of those at the bottom.
8. Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism by Amanda Montell
What makes cults so powerful and hard to eradicate? Is there some mystical energy that makes people trust extreme figures and even more extreme beliefs? Many attribute our falls down the rabbit hole to magic or secret technology, but contrary to all that, Amanda Montell believes it all depends on language.
In this book, she explains that “cult language” isn’t only limited to real cults. We’re exposed to it every day, as it manifests in industry leaders, rabid fandoms, and social media.
9. Broken (in the best possible way) by Jenny Lawson
In this book, Jenny Lawson humanizes the mysterious beast that is her depression, sharing her journey of frequent struggles and improvements. It’s a memoir that tells a simple message: you are not alone.
10. Between Two Kingdoms: A Memoir of a Life Interrupted by Suleika Jaquad
Suleika Jaquad had just graduated from college, with a world of opportunities ahead of her, when tragedy struck. It started with an itch, then came the inescapable exhaustion. After a flurry of tests, a diagnosis: leukemia, with only a small chance of survival.
Four years of treatment later, doctors proclaim her cured. But her relief turns to apprehension as she takes on a new set of challenges: how to live, rather than just survive.
Reading Nonfiction
Human being are driven by curiosity. We all want to learn and teach, to experience triumph after hardship, and to be challenged and comforted — even if our situations don’t present the opportunity to do all these things. So we turn to books to explore them. We read thrillers to feel tension, fantasy to escape reality, science fiction to envision what’s in the future, and romance to understand love.
But beyond that, we want to understand our own humanity. And what’s a better way to do that than dive into another person’s story? Because while fiction brings out humanity’s inherent creativity and imagination, there is something to be said about a story that’s not only entertaining, but rooted in truth.
What great nonfiction books have you read this year? Share your favorites in the comments below!
If you enjoyed this post, then you might also like:
- The 16 Best Memoirs to Read Right Now
- List of Nonfiction Writing Contests (Updated for 2021)
- 30 Best Nonfiction Books for Kids
- 14 Books About Politics to Get You Thinking
Cole is a blog writer and aspiring novelist. He has a degree in Communications and is an advocate of media and information literacy and responsible media practices. Aside from his interest in technology, crafts, and food, he’s also your typical science fiction and fantasy junkie, spending most of his free time reading through an ever-growing to-be-read list. It’s either that or procrastinating over actually writing his book. Wish him luck!
